A Valentine in the Making
by animestargirl
Summary: The day is almost here. The special time to reveal your love. Will he take it, or will he let it slip away and miss his chance forever? YamixYugi
1. A Plan is Born

Star: Hi everyone! What's up? I hope you guys had a good Valentine's Day. Mine was pretty cool, even though I had school.

Ok, I know you guys are probably getting really tired of me making new stories, and completely ignoring Deepest Dreams, and Bright Shadows, but don't worry, I'm making those chapters too. But I can't miss the opportunity to make a Valentine's fic of Yami and Yugi.

In keeping with my horribly outdated style, instead of being a one shot full of happy fluffy mush, it's going to be several chapters of deep intense love. And I DON'T mean they will all have lemons.

This story was made with my friend luvngYAMI. THANK YOU! hug

Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"speech"

'thoughts'

-A Valentine in the Making-

The chilly winds nipped at his cheeks, turning them a bright, rosy color. His hair flew in all directions, the ruby tipped onyx spikes blowing everywhere, as the blonde bangs stuck to his face. A gloved hand shileded large amethyst eyes as the boy walked into the warm building, sighing in relief when he was finally out of the cold.

"Hey, Yugi! Over here!" he heard someone call to him. He turned in the direction of the voice and smiled when he spotted his friends. He waved to them and went over, rushing through the crowd of students that were just coming in.

"Hi guys," he said as he finally reached them. Suddenly he was pulled into a massive hug by a very energetic boy. "Who gave Malik sugar?" he asked, mock glaring at Marik, as Malik started to nuzzle his cheek.

"Why must you accuse me?" the other asked, putting on a hurt face, though amusement shone in his dark lavender eyes.

"I don't know, maybe it's because he's your boyfriend," Yugi replied breathlessly, his air supply thinning because of the hyper Egyptian that was glued to his waist.

"Malik, I don't think Yami will appreciate it if you hugged his aibou to death," Ryou said, pushing his silver hair out of his face as he continued to read his book.

Malik pouted, but let go nonetheless, attaching himself to Marik. "Where is Yami, anyway?" he asked, looking around for the spirit.

"He had to help Jii-chan with something, so he's coming in late," Yugi responded. He sighed as he pulled out his note books, thinking of his other half. Lately he had been getting weird feelings whenever he was around Yami, even when he was thinking of the spirit. He knew the reason he was feeling so strangely, it wasn't the first time he had had weird feelings around Yami. But it was the first time they had been so strong. "Where are the others?" he asked, trying to get his mind off of his darker half.

"Bakura is still sleeping, like the lazy thing he is," Ryou responded, glaring at the ring that hung around his neck. "Jou and Honda went to find a teacher, Otogi isn't here, and Anzu is sick. I don't know about Seto."

"Oh," Yugi said. He then sat down in his desk, and looked outside. The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. It was still windy and the snow was still on the ground, as it was only the beginning of February. It was hard to believe that in three months they were going to graduate from high school. So much had happened since they started, only four years ago. Freshmen year was the easiest, as he didn't have to deal with anything too bad. But when sophomore year came, his whole life changed completely. He solved the Millennium Puzzle, met Yami, saved the world a few times, and so many other things, he couldn't remember them all. And here he had thought that he would have a normal life. But looking back on it now, he realized he wouldn't have changed any of it.

Vaguely he heard the teacher walk in and begin classes, but Yugi was still caught up in his thoughts. In three months, he would be out of high school and preparing for college. To say he wasn't scared would have been the biggest lie he'd ever tell. He was petrified. He never expected college to creep up on him so quickly, but here he was, a senior, months away from starting at a new school. What was worse was that some of his friends would be going to other colleges.

Ryou was going to go to one on the other side of town, and naturally Bakura was going along with him. Though he trusted that Ryou would do good in his chosen field, a medical proffesion, he was a bit scared to think of Bakura being a doctor. Though the spirit was pretty good in biology, which shocked everyone. Malik and Marik were going to the college that was a few minutes away, and so were Jou and Honda. Anzu was moving to America, and Seto and Otogi had their companies to run.

Yami was accepted to one of the countries top law schools, one that was far away from Domino. In fact, it was on the other side of the country. Yugi, on the other hand, was going to a different college to study journalism. It was still here in Domino, because he wanted to stay with his jii-chan. He would be with Jou and the others. When Yami realised that he'd have to leave his aibou, he wanted to decline the invite to the school. But Yugi stopped him before he had a chance. Yugi didn't want Yami to give up on this opportunity because of him. Yugi knew the spirit would never get the chance again, and the boy didn't want to live with guilt for the rest of his life. He wanted his other half to have the best, even if it meant that he would have to leave.

Yugi felt an ache start to build in his chest as he thought of Yami leaving. It had been happening since they got their acceptance letters. He brushed it off as it being that he was sad that Yami was leaving, but he knew it was more than that. Yami was his best friend, his protector, the other half of his soul. The two had never been closer than this year, and yet Yugi wanted more. He knew it was selfish of him to want more, but he just couldn't help it.

He felt something poke him in his side and he turned around to see Jou smiling at him. He smiled back and turned to face the front of the room. He was able to catch the last few minutes of the lecture before the bell rang. Yugi packed his books and walked out, walking alongside his friends as they went to their next class. He partly listened to their conversation, his thoughts mainly focused on looking for Yami. The spirit still hadn't come in yet, and Yugi was beginning to wonder if his Jii-chan was going to keep him all day.

He said his goodbyes and followed Ryou up the stairs towards their next class. As they passed the windows, he looked outside in the parking lot, hoping to see his other half walk up the steps. But no one was out there, the silver car that the two owned missing from it usual spot. He sighed sadly, then turned to find Ryou staring at him.

"What?"

"He's not here yet, huh?"

"Yes. Jii-chan might keep him all day," Yugi replied as they walked into their classroom. "But what's Bakura's reason for not being here yet?" he asked with a smirk.

"He's a lazy ass," Ryou replied as he sent another glare down to the golden ring. In response the ring glowed brightly, and when the light died down, Bakura was standing in front of the two. The spirit glared at his hikari who just glared back.

"Who are you calling lazy?" Bakura asked.

"You. You better get to your class before you get another detention," Ryou said, turning his back on the spirit. Bakura just rolled his eyes, and sat down on the top of the desk.

"I don't want to go. That class is so boring!"

"You'd still better go," Yugi said. "Too many bad marks on your record, and they won't let you into the med school."

Bakura just growled at him, but stood up. "Fine! Since you people seem to want me gone so bad. I'll see you two later." He gave Ryou a light kiss on the cheek, and tapped his nuckles lightly on Yugi's head before walking out. Ryou sighed as he watched his dark half leave and sat down.

"Finally," he said as he let his head hang over the back of the seat.

"Oh come on. You know you didn't really want him to leave," Yugi teased as he sat behind the boy. Ryou glared at him, though a glare upside down looks pretty funny.

"Oh hush! I'm just glad he isn't like Marik. I don't think I'd survive if Marik was my yami."

"Yea, but then again, Malik is just like him, which is why those two work so well."

"What about you, Yugi?"

"What about me?"

Ryou sat up and was about to continue, when the teacher walked in. The silver haired boy mouthed the word 'later' and turned around to listen to the lecture. A while later, the teacher surprised them and gave them the last ten minutes of class free. The room was filled with cheers as the students got up and started talking to their friends.

Ryou turned around in his desk to see the top of Yugi's head. The smaller one had placed his head in his arms, and was starting to fall asleep. Ryou smiled and tapped the other, but he got no response. The boy tried again, but still Yugi didn't wake up. Ryou bit his lip as he thought of a way to wake the boy up when an idea came to him.

"Hey, Yugi," he whispered into Yugi's ear. "Yami's running around naked in the hall."

"WHAT!" Yugi yelled as he jerked his head up and looked around frantically. It was then that he noticed the entire class had gone silent and was staring at him strangely. "Um…sorry," he said, blushing.

Ryou laughed at his outburst, making Yugi glare at him. "That wasn't nice," the amethyst eyed boy said as he threw an eraser at the other's head. Ryou continued to giggle while rubbing the spot where the eraser hit.

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way to get you up."

"Thanks a lot. Now I have images in my head," Yugi groaned as he banged his head lightly on the desk.

"You don't seem to be complaning."

Yugi looked at his friend wide eyed as a bright red blush took its place on Yugi's cheeks. Ryou only smirked at him, causing the blush to grow bigger. "I…I don't know what you are talking about," he said quickly.

"Uh huh. I've seen the way you look at him. I know you like him," Ryou said with a soft smile, eyes full of understanding and care.

Yugi didn't say anything, he just stared at the desk while trying to make the blush go away. It was true. He did like his other half. No, it was much more than a simple crush. He fully and completely loved Yami with all his heart and soul.

"How long?" Ryou asked.

"Since the beginning," Yugi responded, as he lay his head down on the desk. He felt his mood dampening, and he let out a small, sad sigh.

"And….."

"And nothing."

"Are you-"

"No."

"But why?"

"Because-" Yugi's answer was cut off as the bell rang. "I'll see you later," he told his friend as he grabbed his things and rushed out the door. He headed downstairs and to his next class. He practically ran through the halls, bumping into many people. He was in a rush to get to the classroom, hoping to see if Yami had finally come. He turned the corner and ran into someone. The two fell into a pile on the floor, the other person lying under him. Before he could move, he felt two arms wrap around his waist and heard someone chuckle. "You know you aren't supposed to run through the halls, aibou," said a voice.

Yugi felt his mood brighten immediately, as he lifted his head and looked into amused crimson eyes. "You came!" he said as he smiled brightly. "I thought you'd be home all day."

"And miss being with you at school? Now we'd better get up before we are late," Yami said as he sat up.

Yugi nodded and climbed off of Yami and stood up, helping his dark half up from the floor. He then grabbed Yami's hand and practically skipped to their classroom.

"What's got you so happy, Yugi?" Yami asked as he was dragged down the hall. He couldn't help but smile at his aibou's happy face. His hikari was so cute when he was smiling, his amethyst eyes shining brightly.

"Nothing. It's just been really boring without you."

"I'm touched. You missed me that much?"

Yugi just smiled at him and they walked into the classroom and took their seats. "What did Jii-chan need you for?"

"Jii-chan seems to think that my sole purpose in life is to do hard labor for him. He made me deliver a few packages, and move new shipments inside. My arms feel like they are going to fall off."

"Aww, poor you," Yugi said as he pet Yami's head. Yami just smirked at his light, and placed his chin in his hand.

"So, did anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"Well, if you ignore the fact that Malik almost hugged me to death, the classes were boring as hell, and that I ran into the entire student body, nothing happened."

"Your tale amuses me to no end," Yami said, earning a light punch from his pouting hikari.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if you were there," Yugi said turning around before Yami could see the blush that was creeping up his cheeks.

"So you did miss me," Yami said, a smile plastered on his face. He saw the smile that took its place on Yugi's face, as the smaller rolled his eyes at his dark half.

'You don't know how much I missed you, Yami. After all, once we graduate, I won't see you again for a long time.'

While they were doing group work, Yugi took the time to watch his darker half. He had done it millions of times before, yet he couldn't stop. He couldn't help but admire his yami. Yami's facial features were perfect. High cheek bones and a perfectly formed jaw line. A smooth nose and full red lips. Beautiful crimson eyes that were soft and caring whenever they looked upon him. Lightly tanned skin covered Yami, giving him an exotic look that could melt the hearts of anyone.

Yugi's eyes roamed over the Pharaoh's body, taking in everything. A graceful neck and broad shoulders. Strong arms that were always there to hold him. Long, delicate fingers came from soft hands. He could see Yami's ab muscles from the tight black shirt he wore. Poweful legs completed the lithe body of the spirit, the one who held Yugi's heart. Yugi looked back up to Yami's face and smiled. Yami was bitting his lip as he thought over the answer to the problem. He looked so cute, and at the same time he looked amazing and gorgeous.

Yami looked over and saw Yugi staring at him. He looked back down at his paper, then looked back up at his aibou a few seconds later. He looked at his paper, trying to answer the question. He could sense that Yugi was still looking at him, and a few minutes later looked back up. "Is there something interesting about me?" he asked with a smirk.

"Huh? What? Oh…um…n-no s-sorry," Yugi said, blushing in embarrassment that he was caught staring at Yami.

"Is everything ok?" Yami asked as he took hold of Yugi's hand.

Yugi looked down at the hand holding his. "Yea. I'm fine," he replied quietly, pulling his hand away, not looking back up at his other half.

Yami frowned, and opened his mouth to ask something else, when the teacher interrupted. He turned his attention back to the teacher, though he kept looking at Yugi from the corner of his eyes. 'Something seems off about him today. I wonder what it is.' The bell rang half an hour later, signaling the beginning of lunch. Yami waited while his hikari packed his books. The two walked out of the room and towards the cafeteria, where they met their other friends. The two sat down and started to talk to the others.

"Yugi," called Ryou.

Yugi looked over at the silver haired boy, and Ryou stood up, silently asking Yugi to follow him. Yugi stood up as well and walked out of the cafeteria with the other. Yami watched them leave, and looked over to Bakura, who stared at him then turned away to talk to Malik. Yami looked back over to the doors, wondering why those two had left.

Outside, Ryou pulled Yugi into an empty classroom. He then shut the door and turned towards the smaller. Yugi just leaned against the teacher's desk, staring at the floor as he waited for Ryou to talk. He knew what the other boy had called him for.

"Why not?" Ryou asked.

"Because I can't."

"Why can't you?"

"Too many things," Yugi said with a sigh, as he lifted his gaze from the floor and towards the boy in front of him.

"Like what?" Ryou asked as he sat in the teacher's chair.

Yugi sighed again, as he sat on the edge of the desk. "I couldn't do that to him. If I told him that, he wouldn't leave. He would turn down the chance to go to the law school. I can't take that away from him. I want him to have every opportunity in this life."

"I doubt that Yami will care if it comes to that," Ryou said.

"But what if it's the opposite? What if I push him away? What if I tell him that I care for him, and he hates me for it? Then he'd leave me even faster. I can't take that. I don't want him to leave. I don't want him to hate me."

"Yugi, he would never hate you," Ryou said as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "You can't think that. There is no way that Yami would hate you, no matter what you told him."

"You don't know. You can't say that he won't hate me," Yugi said looking away from Ryou. "I refuse to get my hopes up just to have them dashed."

"So your not going to tell him?"

"No. I won't hold him back. Not anymore."

"When did you ever hold him back?"

"I can't count the number of times I've kept him from doing something. He's given up so much for me, and I just keep asking for more like a selfish little kid. He really wants this, he wants to go to this college, and I am not going to keep him."

"But what about you?"

"I……will get on…somehow," Yugi said as he lowered his gaze to the floor again, his voice softening.

"You won't be happy."

"But he will, and right now, that's all I care about. I can live with heartache, but I can't live with guilt."

"Yugi, I just can't believe you can be like that sometimes."

"Like what?"

"So giving. That you can give up everything you want for someone elses happiness. I would never be able to do that. I would never give up Bakura for anything."

"I envy you Ryou."

"Why?"

"Because you had the courage to tell Bakura your feelings. I will never be able to tell Yami."

"It will work out. You just have to believe in it."

"Don't you ever get tired of being so optimistic?" Yugi asked, a small smile on his face.

"It's a gift. And it's good to be optimistic when around someone as stubborn as you. Bakura is just the same."

"Don't compare me to him, please. That creeps me out."

Ryou laughed at the comment, as Yugi smiled again. "But seriously, Yugi. don't keep this to yourself. It's not good for you. When Yami leaves, it will hurt being away from him. I don't want to see you unhappy."

"I won't be alone. I will have you guys."

"Bakura and I won't be able to come back untill the weekend. The others might be here, but that won't take the place of Yami, and you know it. Yami will be on the other side of the country. Who knows when you guys will see each other."

"I can handle it. I can always talk to him by phone or on the computer."

"Do you really believe that you will be satisfied with that? And think about it. Do you really want him to leave?"

Yugi didn't answer him. He just got up and walked over to the door. He opened it, but didn't walk out. He stood in the door way, his back turned to the other boy. "No," he finally whispered. "But it's not my choice to make." Then he walked away.

Instead of going back to the cafeteria, Yugi walked up the stairs and walked out on the roof. He leaned against the railing, and sighed. He replayed the conversation over and over in his head. He knew Ryou spoke the truth. He didn't want Yami to leave. He wanted to tell Yami that he loved him, and he wanted the spirit to say the same to him. He wanted the fairy tale love and the happily ever after. But he knew he wouldn't get it.

Yugi felt his eyes start to water, the tears stinging his eyes. It happened every time he thought of his yami leaving. He had never thought that one day Yami would have to leave. He thought that they were going to be together, yami and hikari, forever. He never thought that they would get accepted to different places. He wiped away a tear that escaped his eye and sat on the ground, leaning his back against the building. He brought his legs up to his chest, and wraped his arms around his legs, and placed his forehead on his knees. He didn't want to feel this way. He wanted to love Yami without all the pain. He wished that love was simple, but nothing was ever simple for him. He could never have an easy life.

'Maybe I should just tell him,' he thought as he closed his eyes to prevent anymore tears from falling. 'Then at least I won't be breaking apart inside. But I don't want to risk loosing him. I'm already loosing him physically, but I won't survive if he despises me." Yugi heard a door open to his right, but didn't open his eyes. He knew who it was that had come up. He heard footsteps come closer to him, and heard the person sit down next to him.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" he heard the deep voice of his yami ask, the question laced with concern.

Yugi turned his head away and shook his head. He was afraid if he talked now, he'd blurt everything out.

"Aibou?" Yami called out. He placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, noticing how tense the other was. He scooted closer to his light, and wrapped an arm around his waist. He gently caressed Yugi's cheek, surprised to find that they were wet.

"You're crying!" he exclaimed, now very concerned. "Why are you crying? Did something happen to you? Did someone hurt you?"

Yugi pulled away, pushing Yami's hand away from his face. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"What could it have been that made you cry?"

"Nothing. It was stupid of me to start crying. I'm fine now," Yugi said as he wiped his tears away, trying to smile for his dark half.

Yami wasn't fooled for a second. He decided not to press the issue, for now. He tightened his hold on his aibou, pulling the smaller boy closer to him. They sat like that for a few minutes, neither wanting to break the silence that was surrounding them. Yami looked down at Yugi and noticed that the light of the sun was reflected in his amethyst eyes. The violet orbs shone with such brilliancy, and they were so mesmerizing, that Yami felt as if he could drown in their depths. They were so beautiful.

"Valentines Day is coming soon, aibou."

"Really?"

"Yep. In two days. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"…No. I did, but I realise that it can't be between us. So I've decided to give up on him."

"You can't do that, Yugi. You can't give up on love. I think you should tell him," Yami said despite the pang of jealousy that coursed through him.

Yugi just smiled as he looked out across the school yard. Typical Yami. It seemed like everyone wanted him to tell of his love. Who knows, maybe he would. "Maybe. Most likely not, but who knows."

"Good. Wait…this person isn't the one causing you to cry, is he? I don't care if you love him or not, no one makes you cry and gets away with it," Yami said with determination.

Yugi laughed loudly. Yami could be so funny sometimes. He sighed and leaned his head on Yami's shoulder. He heard the bell ring, but made no move to get up. It seemed that Yami didn't want to move either. "We should get back to class."

"So?"

"So we will get in trouble if we don't."

"So?"

"You want to stay up here?"

"Maybe."

Yugi laughed and rolled his eyes. "Fine then. We'll stay up here, but when the school calls Jii-chan and complains about us skipping, I'm telling him that you made me do it."

"And somehow I don't care."

"Yami, you are so annoying sometimes," Yugi said as he snuggled closer to Yami.

"Just one of my many qualities," Yami said as he placed his cheek on the top of Yugi's head.

The two sat there, the peaceful silence engulfing them. Yugi sighed happily, feeling Yami tighten his hold. 'I want to tell him. I really do, but I don't want to loose what I have now. But Valentines Day is coming soon. Maybe I'll tell him then. Maybe I'll finally ask him to be mine.'

* * *

Star: YAY! Chapter one down. Don't worry, this won't be a long fic. 

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. Please review!


	2. Strike One!

Star: Ok, I have absolutely no excuse for not posting in a million years other than the fact that I was lazy and didn't feel like writing. So, I'm sorry for making you guys wait for so long. But I promise I'm going to try to get better at it.

On a happy note...**I'M GOING TO SEE DIR EN GREY IN CONCERT IN HOUSTON THIS SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!! **(dies of happiness) **I LOVE KAORU!!**

Anyway, this chapter was supposed to be posted on the 11th, but I never finished. Then it was supposed to be posted on the 12th, but I was too late. And because I was late, I had to cut a chapter out. And that's annoying. So even though it is up on the 13th, it is the 12th in the chapter. Get it? No? Well hopefully you will. And hopefully I can manage another chapter today. (HOPEFULLY)

disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"speech"

'thoughts'

-----Strike One!-----

It was the next day during homeroom, and Yugi was feeling depressed for some reason. No, he knew the reason for his sudden depression. Valentine's Day was now only three days away and he still had not figured out a way to reveal his feelings to his other half. Why, oh why couldn't he just get the courage to tell him something so simple? The answer was: because it wasn't simple. On no level was it a simple task. People might say things like, 'just do it', or 'what's there to be afraid of?' Well they could all go fuck themselves. It was hard enough admitting to himself that he had feelings for the other. And it had taken him a long time just to do that! How could he have possibly thought that he would be able to tell Yami in just three days? It was already the twelfth! Valentine's Day was in two days! He had today and tomorrow to try to get it done. And telling him on Valentine's Day itself was stretching it really close.

Sighing dejectedly, Yugi looked out the window of his classroom. Part of him just wanted to forget all about his stupid plan. It really was stupid! To just come out and say something like that to a person who Yugi had no idea if he even felt the same. Or even if his feelings were on the same level. What if Yami misunderstood? What if he took it as only friendly emotions? Or worse, what if he understood and rejected him? That would be the absolute worst thing that could ever happen! He'd end up driving the spirit away, and then what? Yami would leave for college and would never talk to him again. Yugi groaned and dropped his head on the desk. His life was becoming a real hell, no thanks to that stupid holiday. Why did he even bother?

"What's got you so down?" he heard Ryou ask from his right.

"Shoot me," Yugi replied. "Do me a favor and shoot me before I make a complete, utter fool of myself."

"Worrying about what to do for Valentine's Day?" the British teen asked, shifting his desk closer. "Why don't you just tell him?"

"You know damn well it's not as easy as that," Yugi mumbled. "If it were, I would have told him a long time ago. But as it stands, I'm never going to tell him."

"It's not like he's going to hate you, you know," Ryou replied, placing a hand on Yugi's hair and stroking it gently. "If he doesn't feel the same way, he'll let you down gently. But he's not going to push you away forever. Yami cares too much for you to do that."

"I know," the younger answered. "But I still don't want to do it. I don't want to be rejected by the person I love."

"No one does, but it's a part of life. You have to take the good with the bad. But it doesn't mean just give up."

Yugi looked up at his friend and sighed again, blowing a stray hair from his face. "I guess. But that still doesn't make it easier for me to tell him. I don't see why I have to tell him anyway."

Ryou rolled his eyes, and smacked Yugi lightly on his head. "Because if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"I can live with that," said the young duelist. "Besides, it's not like I'm the only one who's after him," Yugi added irritably. Many, many, MANY people had already approached Yami with flowers, chocolates, cards, the whole nine yards. It seemed as if every minute the spirit was bombarded by groups of admirers. His locker overflowed with letters and notes so much so that every time he opened it, a mountain of paper rained down on him. It was times like this that Yugi realized how popular his other half truly was. But then again, why wouldn't he be? He was smart, kind, understanding, patient, friendly, funny, and not to mention extremely attractive. It was no wonder he had so many people after him.

"But do you think he really cares about any of those people?" Ryou asked gently. Yugi could only shrug. What did he know, really? He couldn't say no if it wasn't true, but he didn't want to say yes, incase that answer was true. "I'm sure he says something about all the attention he's been getting."

Yugi smiled softly as he answered. "Yea, he says it's slightly annoying to be stopped six times on his way to class. But other than that he doesn't complain. He doesn't even refuse their gifts! He smiles, says thank you, and takes the gift. So that's what he'll probably do with mine, if he doesn't reject me completely." Great, now he felt even worse.

"And what makes you think he'll reject you? You, out of the entire student body?" Ryou asked in annoyance.

"Because that is just my luck," Yugi replied, burying his face in his arms.

Ryou rolled his eyes again and looked away. Typical Yugi, always building obstacles in front of himself. He'd never get anywhere if he continued to believe that Yami would refuse him. Really, that thought was laughable! Why would he reject Yugi? The person that saved him from an eternity of darkness and torture. That alone deserved eternal gratitude, something that the Pharaoh displayed every day. Hell, even Bakura showed his gratitude! And Bakura was a hard ass, ungrateful bastard at times. Granted, they were already a couple, but that didn't matter. Why the hell would Yami reject Yugi? If he did, then the Pharaoh was a complete idiot and deserved to be shot.

"How long did you like Bakura before you told him?" Yugi asked softly.

"Hard to say when it started," Ryou replied, closing his chocolate brown eyes as he tried to think back. "I just started feeling more comfortable around him. Of course, this was after I realized that he wasn't going to kill me. Then one day I woke up, and I realized that he had become such a big part of my life. I absolutely loved being with him, and wanted to be with him always. Although, that was also the day I realized I had finally gone crazy from hanging around you people for so long."

"Well, sorry for making your life such a mess," replied Yugi sarcastically.

"Just tell him!" Ryou yelled. "I'll help you lure him out to an empty place."

"You make it seem like we're going to jump him."

"If that's what it takes to get you to admit that you like him, then that is what we'll do."

"I'm so going to kick you," Yugi threatened before his eyes caught a movement at the doorway. Glancing over, his eyes widened as he saw his yami standing in front of the classroom, talking to a female student. He felt immense jealously run through him when he saw his other half give the female a bright smile. Smiles like that should be saved for only him! But leave it to Yami to be nice to everyone. That jerk.

"Now's your chance to talk to him," Ryou said softly, leaning in close so no one could hear. "Just ask him to go somewhere private, and tell him."

"I…I just can't. I don't want to set myself up for rejection. I don't want to end up pushing him away. Especially since he's leaving in a few months anyway," the teen said. He didn't want to ruin their last few months together.

"Which is why you _have_ to tell him now. You know you'll never get another chance. Look, he's coming!" Ryou responded, prodding Yugi in the side, hoping that the boy would just take the risk. But at the rate things were going, Ryou would probably end up screaming it to Yami in front of everyone, and that would be a huge mess.

"I can't! I just can't do it!," Yugi whispered fervently, wishing he could just disappear.

"Can't do what?" Yami asked as he sat down next to the two.

"Nothing!" Yugi said quickly, burying his head back in his arms to avoid looking at his yami.

"Yugi's just being a loser. So how's the daily haul?" Ryou asked with a smirk, glancing down at Yami school bag which seemed to be overflowing with gifts.

"I'm going to break my back carrying all these things, the spirit replied with a groan. "It weighs a ton, and I don't have room for any of my books either. And I have enough chocolates to last me for the next five Valentines."

"So why don't you just say no?" Yugi asked, sulking in his chair.

"Because if they went through the trouble of buying it for me, then I can't turn it down."

"Right, of course," Yugi replied curtly.

"Anyway," Ryou said quickly, hoping to avoid any unnecessary tension, "have you seen Bakura? He's not answering me at all."

"I'm happy when I don't see him," the Pharaoh responded, "but if you must know, he's with Marik and Malik out in the courtyard."

Ryou frowned as he tried to contact his yami again. "So why isn't he answering me?"

"They're probably plotting something. Probably for Valentine's Day."

"They don't always plot, you know, "Yugi commented. He was suddenly also feeling annoyed. He felt like stabbing something. Preferably something that moved. And screamed. And bled. Hello, insanity! But he was too depressed to move at the moment to find a pointy object. Maybe later.

"They sure looked like they were plotting," Yami replied, already suspicious of the other three. One was bad, two were worse, but when all three joined together, it was pure hell. Yugi just grunted, and shrugged his shoulders. Yami frowned, and leaned closer to his aibou. "Yugi, is something wrong?" he asked, placing a hand on Yugi's head.

Quick as lightning, Yugi smacked the hand away and sat up. A stunned silence fell over the three as they tried to register what had happened. Yami blinked as he stared at Yugi, wondering why in the world he had done that. Yugi just stared back, shock written all over his face. And Ryou stared at Yugi in disbelief, amazed by the sheer stupidity of that action. "Yugi…?" the Pharaoh started, reaching out once again, but Yugi leaned back quickly to avoid the touch.

"I…I have to go," the teen said, grabbing his bag and racing out the door, leaving the two in surprise.

Yami watched his other half race away from him, before turning to Ryou, "What just happened?"

"Something stupid," Ryou replied. Great, this was not what they needed! That idiot just made things so much harder for himself. What the hell did he expect to accomplish by avoiding Yami's touch? And why was he trying to avoid contact in the first place? Ryou needed to hunt that boy down and knock some sense into him.

"Did I do something bad?" the spirit asked sadly, looking back out to the hall as if he expected Yugi to come back.

"No, it's not you." How was Ryou supposed to answer that one? He obviously couldn't tell him the truth. So what could he say that could convince the other teen that nothing was wrong, and to not go chasing after Yugi. "Don't worry about him. He just needs some time alone right now."

"If you say so," Yami answered. "I should…probably go." Yami stood up, and grabbed his bag. "If you see him later, could you find out what's wrong and tell me?"

"Sure thing." Yami nodded in appreciation and walked out, going the opposite way of his hikari.

------

'I'm so stupid!' Yugi thought to himself for the millionth time as he paced back and forth in an empty classroom. What the hell was wrong with him? How could he do something as moronic as hit Yami's hand away? WHY did he do it was a more important question, one Yugi was desperately trying to figure out. It was just a comforting gesture, and Yugi had to go and ruin it by doing something like that! And then to avoid Yami's touch a second time! Why a second time? Why even a first time? 'How could I be so stupid?'

He could just imagine how angry Ryou was with him. The British teen would probably yell at him, and call him an idiot as well. But he deserved it. Not only had he completely embarrassed himself by that stunt, he also had just made it harder for him to tell Yami anything. 'I won't be able to even look him in the eye now!' He had never shied away from Yami's touch before. Not even in the beginning, when he was getting used to having a spirit inside him. Not even when the two argued. Not once, not ever. So why now? Why now of all times did that have to happen?

The bell rang, thankfully, and Yugi hurried to his next class. At least here he wouldn't have to deal with Yami or Ryou. But he did have class with Bakura, so there was the chance that Ryou would get Bakura to talk to him. Hopefully Bakura was uninterested in his love life. Not that there was much to be interested in. Sitting down at his desk, Yugi rested his head on his desk as he waited for the second bell to ring. Watching the doorway for Bakura, he stiffened lightly when the tomb robber walked through the door. Bakura glanced at him for a second before taking his seat to the left of Yugi.

"Ryou is pissed at you," he said simply.

Yugi groaned. Great, he knew it. "Is he on a rampage to bitch at me? Or did he tell you to do it?"

"I'm not particularly interested in your love life," Bakura responded cooly. "And the fact that you have a thing for that idiot sickens me. But seeing as how Ryou won't give up on this, I'm going to help you. But I'm only doing this so that he'll stop complaining about how much of an idiot you are."

"Your kindness never ceases to amaze me," Yugi said sarcastically, turning to face the teacher as the lesson started.

"Take it, or leave it. It's up to you if you bag him or not."

"He's not a prize, you know. Unless this is all just a game to you," Yugi answered, yet he wasn't offended.

"It is. As I said, I'm not really interested. Just be happy I like you enough to agree to help."

"Don't let Ryou hear. He might get jealous," Yugi teased lightly.

Bakura just smirked. "You're cute kid, but you look too much like that idiot for me to ever be interested."

"Aww, and here I thought you were going to tell me you secretly loved me." Yugi replied with his own smirk.

"Only in your dreams."

"Sorry, but you aren't a very important part of my dreams."

"What do you see in him anyway?" Bakura asked, making a disgusted face.

"I'd tell you, but you'd probably get sick," Yugi said with a chuckle, brushing back his bangs. "So, any ideas on how to help me?"

"Amazing that you're willing to listen to me and not Ryou."

"He's too bossy. Besides, just because I ask you, doesn't mean that I'll actually do it. I still believe that I'd be wasting my time trying to tell him. There is no way we could ever be together even if he did feel the same."

Bakura scowled at the younger teen. "You really think that he's not going to try everything to stay with you? Even now, he doesn't want to leave for that stupid college. But because you said it would be a 'wonderful opportunity', he's going. If you told him to stay, he'd stay. You know he'd turn them down in an instant."

"But I don't want him to stay here just because of me."

"Then what exactly do you want!" Bakura yelled, catching the attention of the whole class. He glared fiercely at them, and they quickly turned away. "If you tell him how you feel, of course he'll stay. And you know you don't want him to leave! Stop with the selfless act already, and make up your mind! Do you want him to stay or not?"

"I just can't take that opportunity away from him," Yugi responded softly. But he already knew what he really wanted. He wanted to be selfish and keep Yami with him forever.

"That doesn't answer the question. Do you want him to stay or not?" Bakura repeated.

"Yes…I do."

"And do you want him to know how you feel?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then why are you keeping it to yourself? Tell him how you feel. Tell him you don't want him going away. Tell him that you want him to stay here. Just tell him something, otherwise all your feelings will have been a waste! Is that what you want?" Bakura asked, as serious as he'd ever been.

"No! I don't want that," Yugi answered quickly. "I want him to stay, and I want to be with him, but…I don't want to feel guilty for taking this away from him."

"Do you really think he actually gives a damn about that school? Compared to you, do you think the school is that important? Or is it that you actually do want to get rid of him?"

"Never! I just don't want to feel guilty," Yugi said sadly, placing his head back down on his desk.

"If he doesn't regret it, then you shouldn't either," Bakura said. "So stop making excuses and tell him already."

"I'm scared to hear his answer."

"Everyone gets scared when it comes to things like this. Hell, even I was a bit worried about telling Ryou," Bakura said calmly. "I was worried that he wouldn't ever think of me that way. That he _couldn't_ ever think of me that way because of my past. That moment was the only time I ever regretted all the bad things I'd ever done, because I thought they would be the reason Ryou pushed me away. But I got over that fear, and told him. And that's what you need to do."

"And you really think that'll work?" Yugi wasn't going to say anything unless he was absolutely sure that he wasn't going to be pushed away and hated for the rest of his life.

"Of course. Just get him to a place where there is no one around, and tell him. After school, meet him in your homeroom and tell him there."

Yugi was silent for a few minutes as he thought over the plan. It sounded fine, but there were so many things that could go wrong. So many things that probably would go wrong. But he had to do this. He had to tell Yami how he felt before it was too late. "If this doesn't work, I'm never listening to you or Ryou ever again."

"If this doesn't work, I'll kick the Pharaoh's ass for being an idiot."

"Deal."

------

Lunch could be such a boring time, Yami mused. Especially when the one person you want to talk to wasn't there. Yugi had taken his tray and left, saying he had to work on his project for chemistry. All without even glancing over to the spirit. Something that made said spirit depressed. Was Yugi avoiding him? Maybe he really did do something to offend his hikari. But Ryou said it was nothing. Or was he lying? Could the British hikari be keeping something from him? It was a possibility, since Yugi usually talked to Ryou about problems. Another thing that made him depressed; knowing that he wasn't the only problem solver anymore.

Sighing, the teen ruler got up and threw away his tray. He didn't much feel like listening to the others talk about what they would do over the weekend. Giving them a lame excuse, he walked out of the cafeteria. Maybe he would meet his hikari on the way. Maybe he could find out what was wrong. He hated to see Yugi like this. He knew something was troubling the other teen, but what it was remained a mystery.

He hadn't gotten far when he was stopped by a group of girls. They looked like sophomores. They didn't even have to say anything; he already knew why they had come to him. 'More Valentine's gifts,' he thought to himself with a sigh. Really, people were so obsessed with this holiday. They didn't have it back in his time, and people got along fine without it. But he put on a smile for them, might as well make their effort worth it. They shyly handed him a few cards and some more chocolates. Damn the chocolates to hell! He was pretty sure that if he sold all of his chocolates, he'd earn a lot of money.

"Do you have someone to be your Valentine?" one asked timidly. Her eyes showed her hope that his answer was no. Apparently, Yami was a prize this year, as everyone seemed to want to be his Valentine. Jou and Otogi had teasingly asked if he would be their Valentine, only to get glares from their boyfriends. Really, people needed to get a life if all that got them pumped up was fighting for his attention. And yet, the one person who he wanted to give all his attention to was currently avoiding him like the plague. A very depressing blow.

"No, not yet," Yami replied. He could feel the smile slipping. He had to get out of there and hunt down Yugi.

"Well…d-do you have someone in mind?" she asked, her eyes begging for him to pick her. Nice try, but only one person could make him succumb to anything by one pleading look.

"Actually…I do have someone," he said, giving the disappointed girls an apologetic smile. He could practically hear their hope shattering to pieces. "I have to go now. Thank you for the presents," he said, walking away quickly. He had to go find said person. Sadly, the bell rang before he could get to the science labs. He stood there in the hall for a minute, debating on whether or not he should just go see Yugi anyway. But the crowd of students weren't going to wait till he made a decision. So with a loud sigh, he turned and walked away to his next class.

Lucky for him it was an easy class. Unluckily, he had it with Seto, and Marik. The people who scheduled classes should be strangled for putting him with two of the five people he couldn't stand more than anything. Pegasus, Bakura, and telemarketers took the other three spots. Oh, if only Yugi would just contact him! The younger teen knew how much he despised going to this class, and would usually talk to him through the link. But today it was silent. As it had been all day. Even yesterday it was closed. Obviously, the hikari wasn't interested in talking to him. Which sent him even more into depression.

The last period went by quickly, and with little annoyance from the other two. Thank Ra. So now all he had to do was find his aibou and go home. Maybe he would talk to him there. Or maybe not. Maybe Yugi would ignore him as he had been doing since homeroom. 'How much more depressed can I get?' Yami thought as he wandered the halls, looking for his hikari's classroom. It was on the second floor, right? Or was it the third…wait…maybe they were in the labs.

As Yami turned to go back downstairs, he spotted Ryou racing towards him. He didn't have time to blink before the teen grabbed his arm and started dragging him up to the second floor. "There you are!" he said as they ran through the halls. "I've been looking for you forever. So he's being stupid and won't tell me what he'll say, but I've been trying as hard as I can to get him to spill, but he absolutely refused, so then I told him that he'd just have to come out with it, whether he liked it or not, and he tried to tell me no, but I won't listen anymore since that's what he's been saying for forever, but I'm not the one to needs to hear it, because I know what he should say, but he won't tell me exactly what he's going to say, so you're just gonna have to hear it for yourself first." Ryou said that all in the time it took him to drag Yami across the second floor all the way to their homeroom. Without stopping to take a breath, he opened the door and threw Yami in. The spirit landed ungracefully on the floor, face first. "So you have to deal with it now. See ya!"

"Wait! What the hell did you just say? What do I have do deal with!" the spirit asked, but Ryou had already disappeared. "Ryou!" Rubbing his probably bruised head, he glared at the door. "Crazy Brit," he mumbled, completely unaware that Yugi was standing by the window, and that he had watched the whole scene with wide eyes. He continued to rub his head, when suddenly he felt two soft hands caress his cheeks. He turned around quickly and was faced with his aibou. "Yugi?"

"Let me see," the boy said, pushing Yami's hands away so he could inspect the hurt area. "It's just a bit red," Yugi said after examining it, gently rubbing the sore spot. "Ryou's such a bully."

"Why did he drag me here?" the Pharaoh asked as he felt the pain slowly diminish. Yugi always made him feel better.

"Because…I told him to," Yugi responded, getting up and walking away. He walked over to a file cabinet and climbed on top of it, sitting down and leaning his head against the window pane. "Because, there is something I have to say. But…I don't know if I can. If I even should."

"What is it? You can tell me anything you know," answered Yami as he got up and walked towards the cabinet.

"That's just it! I don't know if I should tell anyone! If I say anything to the person that needs to hear this, our friendship might be over. And I don't want that to happen."

'So that's why he's been acting strangely,' the spirit thought, looking at the sad figure of his hikari. "Is it so important?"

"Of course! I have to tell them! I have to tell them before it's too late. Because I'll never get another chance."

"Is something going to happen if you don't tell that person?" Yami was more than a little confused. Who did Yugi have to talk to, and why was it so important?

"No, but something might if I do. I might ruin our friendship. That person might stop talking to me all together. Damnit, it's senior year! Shit like this shouldn't happen, but they are and I have to deal with it somehow. I just don't know what to do at all! It's a fucking mess!"

Yami raised an eyebrow at the curse words. If Yugi resorted to such language, then it was obviously a big deal. But what _it _was exactly, Yami still didn't know. "So you have something important to tell someone?" Yugi nodded. "But you are afraid to tell them?" Another nod. "Because you are afraid to ruin your relationship with that person?" A third nod. "So you are keeping it all to yourself and basically tormenting yourself."

"But I'm afraid it'll mess things up! I refuse to mess things up, if it can be avoided! I don't have to tell them, but I want to. And I'm so confused!"

"I think you should tell them. You just have to have faith that everything will turn out fine. I'm sure that person will understand."

"Easy for you to say! You don't have to deal with this. You don't know what I'm going through."

"The sooner you tell them, the sooner you can stop freaking out over what might happen. So tell them already." They continued to argue like that for ten minutes. Yugi saying he couldn't because he was afraid, and Yami countering by saying it will be easier if he went ahead and got it over with. "You have to decide what you want to do, and stop putting it off with lame excuses."

A sigh. "I don't know what I should do. I want to tell them. I _have_ to tell them! But so many things could go wrong. I don't know what to do." Yugi turned to look at his other half, his eyes clouded over by sadness and confusion.

Yami frowned and reached a hand up, intending to clasp it around his hikari's to give comfort. But he remembered what had happened the last time he attempted that. And so he lowered his hand again. But Yugi quickly reached out and grabbed it, holding tightly as if he never intended to let go. "I think that if it is so important, you should tell that person," Yami answered as he gazed at their joined hands. "If the relationship is important to them as well, then you'll be fine. And if that person abandons you after you tell them, then obviously they didn't care as much about you. But you'll never know unless you take that risk."

Yugi was silent as he stared out the window, obviously contemplating what would be the best thing for him to do. He looked down at Yami, studying him carefully for what seemed like forever. He leaned down and, with his free hand, began to trace the outline of Yami's face, his fingers barely ghosting over the skin. It was now or never. He had to tell Yami. He had to tell him before it was too late, before he went away. Yugi scooted to the edge of the cabinet, placing his hands on Yami's shoulders to steady himself as he climbed off. The spirit's arms wrapped around his hikari's waist as he assisted him.

Yugi found himself in Yami's embrace, and for a while just let the other hold him. He was so nervous of what might happen, that he just stood there. He was pretty sure Yami could hear his pounding heart. He had to do it. He had to do it now before he lost his courage, or what little he had. Looking up into Yami's crimson eyes, he felt his heart start to beat even faster. 'Come on, you can do this. It's not that hard. I mean…yea it's pretty hard, but…I just have to go for it and hope that everything turns out ok. It will, won't it?' Yugi sighed once, closed his eyes then sighed again before pulling out of the hug. "Yami…there is something I have to say," Yugi started softly.

"Yes, aibou?" the spirit asked, gently running his fingers through Yugi's hair.

"I…I lo-"

Something slammed behind them, startling the two boys and causing them to jump in the air. Turning around, they saw the janitor standing in the doorway, a slightly annoyed look on his face. "What are you two still doing here?" he asked, tapping the broom handle against the door frame. "It's late and I have to clean up. So go on home already." The janitor then walked away, leaving the two in an semi awkward silence.

"Come on," Yugi said quietly, his head bent to avoid eye contact. "We should go." He bent down to pick up his bag, but before he could head out the door, Yami grabbed his arm.

"Wait. What were you going to say just now?"

"Nothing. It's not important anymore." And then Yugi walked out.

--------TBC------

Star: Horrible, isn't it? Meh, hate me if you want. I'm going to try really hard to get another chapter out before midnight tonight. And then the final chapter on Valentine's. Amazed that I actually started up on this story? Yea, so am I. But I will finish it this time! I promise!

By the way, Bright Shadows is having a bit of a problem, but I swear on pain of death that I will have the next chapter out by next week.

Later!


	3. Strike Two!

Star: Yes! I kept my promise and have updated today! Man, I was rushing through the whole day to do this! I was worried that, what with school and play tryouts, I woudn't make it. But here I am, posting half an hour before midnight! Woot!

Anyway, this chapter is shorter than the last, but I think the paragraphs are chunkier. So it evens out, right? All right, go off and enjoy! And remember, tomorrow is the last chapter of this story. (finally!)

disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"speech"

'thoughts'

-------Strike Two!------

Ok, so yesterday had gone bad. Very bad. So bad, that Yugi didn't even want to think about it anymore. He was so close, so fucking close! And just when he finally got his courage up, they were interrupted by that stupid janitor. Just a few seconds more, and he would have gotten it out. A few seconds! Sure he had been stuttering a little, but all he needed was a few more seconds. All that work for nothing! And now he didn't know if he'd be able to get his courage back up. Why was fate so against him?

The teacher was talking, but Yugi wasn't paying attention. He was too focused on wallowing in his misery. Head resting on his desk, he sighed mentally for what was probably the millionth time that hour. What else was he expected to do? Ryou told him to cheer up; that he still had two more days. That he still might make it. That there was still a chance. It was all bull in Yugi's mind. How could he do it? Two days? Today and tomorrow, which was also Valentine's Day. How did anyone expect him to do it in two days. How could anyone expect him to do it at all? Yesterday was probably a one time deal, what with him agreeing to actually tell Yami. Once again he asked, why was fate against him?

Something hit the back of his head, and he groggily lifted his head and turned around. Jou gave him a small wave, and pointed at a crumpled piece of paper that now lay innocently on top of his textbook. Apparently it was a note, and apparently Jou did not know the subtleness of passing notes. So, moving as slow as a snail, Yugi opened the piece of paper and started to try to decode Jou's messy scribble. 'What's bugging you?' Well, if you didn't count that the world was being a complete bitch to him at the moment, the fact that he was a coward when it came to his yami was bugging him. Just a little…maybe.

Turning around, he gave Jou a weak smile, hoping the other would be satisfied if he pretended that everything was alright with him. But of course, it was stupid to think that plan would work. Especially against Jou, who was as protective as Yami when it came to him. And as he expected, Jou saw straight through that smile. Frowning, the blonde ripped another piece of paper, and hurriedly wrote something, checking to making sure that the teacher wasn't watching before he threw it. With a roll of his eyes, Yugi opened the note and read it. 'Is it Yami?'

His eyes widened and he gasped, shooting his head up to look at Jou in shock. How did he know of that? Could Ryou have told him? He had never made Ryou keep it a secret, but he didn't expect the British teen to go around telling the others. What if it got out to Yami? The everything would be ruined. Unless…unless the blonde had figured it out on his own. That was possible, wasn't it? After all, Ryou figured it out on his own…although, the teen was always very intuitive about things like this. Grabbing his pen, Yugi wrote back a question of his own. 'Why do you say that?'

A minute later the paper landed on his desk again. Opening it quickly, he read 'Because it's obvious.' So it really was that obvious. Except to the one person who should notice. Unless he did notice and refused to acknowledge it. And there he went, crushing his hopes again. He really needed to learn to be more optimistic about his own life. But screw optimism, he was far too annoyed with life to find good in this situation. As if good existed. No, by this time, there was no good. Just mind numbing depression. And strangely, it didn't bother Yugi as much as it had previously. 'Maybe I'm finally getting used to this feeling. I should, since at this rate that's all I'll be feeling for a long, long time.'

Dragging his eyes up towards the clock, Yugi sighed when he realized there was still a long time before the end of the period. Not that it really bothered him, he just wanted to go outside. Outside where there was fresh air, instead of this stuffy room. He was almost suffocating in here! What he would give just to get out of school. To just leave all his problems behind and escape from this place forever. Sadly the biggest problem was one he was not willing to part with under any circumstances. So basically he was stuck.

He absently noticed that Jou had managed to convince the person sitting between them to him to switch seats. The two snuck quietly into their new desks before the teacher could notice. Not that she would mind though. So Yugi watched with a bored expression as the blonde rearranged his things, as if it would be less suspicious that way. "You couldn't just wait till the end of class to ask me?"

"Nope," Jou replied, picking up a pencil that had rolled off his desk. "I want to know now why you are acting depressed. And I actually already know, I just want to hear you say it."

"And what will my admittance get you other than smug satisfaction?" Yugi asked in a monotone voice.

"I'll know just how much you've fallen for him."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Yugi replied curtly before turning to face the teacher.

"Don't play dumb. Basically, everyone knows. Everyone except Yami, and the only way he can find out is if you tell him yourself. Which you have to do before tomorrow night."

"Do you really think it's so easy for me to do it in just two days? I wasn't even able to convince myself for such a long time. Telling him, now of all times during this holiday, seems impossible."

"Technically, you don't have to do it for Valentine's," Jou said, chewing on the end of his pencil. Biting the cap on and off, he let his gaze wander lazily around the room, not looking at anything in particular. Just something to waste time as he tried to get it through Yugi's head that it was not impossible to do anything as long as he really tried. And, according to Ryou and Bakura, he wasn't trying all that hard. "You can tell him any other day."

"But it won't be as special," Yugi said, whining softly.

"A confession of love is special, no matter what day you say it on. As long as you come out and say it!"

"And how do you suppose I should do that?" Yugi asked, his tone taking on a slightly annoyed pitch to it. "While you might be able to say things like that so lightly, me actually following through is harder than anything I've ever done." He was getting so sick of people telling him to just come out with it. This was something huge, and he was trying to take it seriously. But it was hard when everyone wanted to push him, and make him rush just because they thought he was taking too long. So what if he was taking long? He was taking it at his own pace. And just because his pace was a thousand years, it didn't mean he wasn't trying hard.

"Just leave it to your friends. We'll make sure you two are alone at the right time."

"We were alone yesterday. Or that was what we thought till the janitor walked in on us," Yugi said bitterly. "So how do I know that more people won't come by this time? How do I know a whole fucking marching band won't pass us just as I'm about to say it?"

"If anyone comes by, I'll take care of them for you," Jou replied, puffing his chest out.

"Why does that not comfort me?" Yugi mumbled as he placed his head in his hand, staring up at the ceiling. He continued to stare at the ceiling for a few minuets, trying to count every hole there was in the white tiles. After fifty seven, most of which he was sure he had counted twice, he blinked and shook his head. "It has to be perfect," he said quietly, more to himself than to Jou.

"It will be," the blonde replied as he looked up from where he was doodling on his study guide.

"I couldn't stand it if anything went wrong. I don't know if I'd be able to get up the courage a third time to tell him. It's hard enough just agreeing to do it this second time."

"Just leave it to us," Jou said smiling. "We'll make sure it goes well this time."

-------

Homeroom came and went faster than Yugi would have liked. He was now stuck in advanced math class. With none other than the person he couldn't stop thinking of. Yugi felt like screaming, and ripping his hair out. No, what he really wanted was to scream out his feelings for Yami. He wouldn't even care who heard or saw, as long as he could just finally let it out. But he had already promised Jou that he could take care of it. Although, what they were planning was being kept a secret. Jou said the reason for that was so that he wouldn't get more and more nervous as it got close to the right time. 'I'm already nervous enough now! How much more nervous can I get?'

Apparently a lot more, as Yugi just found out in a most unexpected, and unwanted, way. Yami had leaned over to ask him something. Yugi didn't really hear what the question was though. The second Yami had come in close proximity, Yugi felt his heart speed up as if it were about to take off racing. Hearing that deep voice softly calling to him made his insides melt. And Yami was so close that Yugi could practically feel his body heat radiating off him. He was acting like a love sick girl , but he really didn't care at the moment. He was pretty sure that his brain had stopped functioning all together. He checked…yup, stopped functioning. He was amazed that he still remembered to breathe, if one could call the short, rapid intakes of air 'breathing'.

"Yugi, did you hear me?" Yami's voice penetrated his mushy thoughts, bringing him out of his love induced stupor long enough for him to utter a questioning grunt. Oh, how eloquent. Someone should just shoot him. "I asked if you understood problem 24," the spirit said slowly, pointing to the problem in the book. Yugi stared at him blankly, trying to understand what exactly he was getting at. "You know, the math problem? In the math book? That you're supposed to be working from?"

Yugi continued to stare at him for a few seconds, before jerking back into awareness. "Huh? I haven't gotten to that one yet," he answered, blushing from pure embarrassment. He shifted his eyes down towards his paper. "Actually, I haven't gotten to number 3 yet," he finished lamely. Wonderful, just what he needed. How much worse could it possibly get? Not only was he a coward, but apparently a drooling idiot as well. Oh, how he hated this damn holiday and all it represented.

"Well, you might want to get started. It's due at the end of class…which is in ten minutes."

Yugi groaned and mentally smacked himself on the head repeatedly. There was no way he was going to complete all the problems by the end of class! He didn't even know what section they were working on. All that information had flown out of his mind the second Yami had leaned close to him. Damn that Pharaoh and his ability to occupy Yugi's thoughts every second of the day. Now he was going to get a bad grade for sure.

Beside him, Yami rolled his eyes and handed his paper over to his hikari. "Copy mine, but next time try not to space out so much." Yugi smiled half heartedly, and slowly took the paper. Thank goodness he had Yami's work. There was no way his mind would be able to figure out these problems on his own. Just looking at Yami's paper made him dizzy. So many numbers and variables. In his opinion, math should stick with numbers only. "Thanks."

Yami smiled fondly and ruffled his hair. "I know you don't like math, but you could at least pay a little attention during class."

"Right, next time," the younger teen answered with a nervous chuckle. 'As if! I'll end up killing myself before next class, and all because I can't stop thinking of you.'

---------

Lunch could be such a wonderful time, Yugi decided. He could get away from all his troubles. One in particular. And at least he was finally outside. That building was just too horrible to be stuck in, especially when one was going crazy inside. Outside and free, or as free as one could be at lunch time while surrounded by the rest of the school. But that didn't really bother him at the moment. He was just enjoying his few moments of relaxation as he walked around campus.

Turning the corner of the gym, he spotted Malik and Bakura huddled in a corner, whispering to each other. Apparently, it was something important, by the looks on their faces. They saw him and began to whisper even more, which confused Yugi. And the smiles they had did not comfort him in the slightest. "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing," Malik replied.

"Are you two plotting something?"

"No!" Bakura answered, too quickly.

"You _are_ plotting something!" Yugi said, though he was not as surprised as one would normally be in a situation like that. He was too used to it. "Whatever you are plotting, it better be legal." Though with them it usually wasn't. "And Malik, you really shouldn't let Bakura talk you into these things."

"Who said it was Bakura's idea?" Malik asked with a pout.

"Because he has that smug look on his face that he gets when he comes up with a horrific idea," Yugi said, pointing at the smirk on Bakura's face.

"Now, I wouldn't call it horrific," Bakura commented with a snicker. "Maybe…shocking beyond all reason?"

"That doesn't make it sound any better," Yugi answered, sending them stern looks.

Malik attached himself to Yugi's arm, and gave him as innocent a look as he could pull off in his current state. "Oh, don't be like that, Yugi!" he said, nuzzling Yugi's cheek with his own. "We're just having some fun."

"Your fun usually means someone goes insane."

"And that's what's fun about it!"

Yugi groaned and rolled his eyes as he attempted to remove his arm from the death grip. Of course, Bakura wasn't doing anything to help; insensitive bastard. "If you weren't my friend, I would have killed you by now for all your stupid plotting."

"Aww, but you looove me," Malik teased, glomping Yugi so tightly, he swore his ribs were caving in. "I know you do!"

"Malik, please," Yugi chided half heartedly, trying to ignore the word love and all the images it brought up. "I'm hungry, and you're buying me an ice cream for all your evilness." Yugi then pried the blonde Egyptian

"But I don't have money-"

"Too bad!"

------

'Damn this stupid project,' the teen Pharaoh thought as he went over his notes for the third time. Chemistry honors was a pain, especially when one had to do research on four of the noble gases. What was that crazy teacher thinking! There was no way one person could write a five page paper, answer a packet of questions, _and_ make a diagram of each element in one week and half. It was impossible, abso-fucking-lutely impossible, and yet if he wanted to lose 170 points, he had to suck it up and do it. Though he wasn't happy. 'Where the hell am I going to find the answers to all of these. I absolutely hate this project with all my being.'

Of course, it was his own fault for electing that class. He could have taken an easy class, like study hall, or graphic design with Yugi. But noooo, he had to choose something challenging like chemistry honors. Damn him and his stupidity. Yami groaned as he flipped through a packet of notes he had printed out. If his brain didn't explode by the time this was done, it would be a miracle. Where was Yugi when he needed him? Oh that's right, he was ignoring him. Again. It was still not a fun experience.

Looking around the lunch table, he noticed Jou, Honda, and Otogi whispering things while looking at him, all the while smirking. As he was currently not in the mood, he glared at them and went back to trying to figure out the answers to the project questions. Which, in his current annoyed mental state, was not the easiest thing to do. He heard them laughing softly, and glanced up to find them still staring at him. What was so funny? Couldn't they see he wasn't in the mood to be messed with? Looking over at Anzu, he sent her a pleading look as if asking her to shut them up. The girl just shrugged, and shook her head. It appeared that it was not in her power to quiet them. And Seto would never help. So the spirit sighed heavily and went back to concentrating.

He had gone a good five minutes without stopping, when two shadows appeared over his paper. Looking up, he was faced with Jou and Honda, still smirking as they had been last time he glanced at them. "Yes?" he asked, wondering what the hell they wanted at such time.

"Hey, Yami," Jou said innocently, though the spirit could see straight through it. "Whatcha doing?"

"…Doing my project," the Pharaoh answered slowly, wary of the two who were standing way too close.

"Really?" Honda chimed in. "What's the subject?"

"…chemistry."

"Oh, that's a hard subject," Jou commented. "I hope you're not having a hard time." The fake sympathy was drenched all over that statement.

"Well, it's not the easiest subject…but I'm getting along." Was that all? Was that the only reason the had interrupted his studying? How annoying. "Now…if you don't mind…"

"Let me take a look at it!" Jou said, reaching down and snatching the papers from the table, ignoring the indignant cry from Yami. "Ooh, looks complicated."

"It is! Now if you don't mind…" Yami said, reaching up to take the papers back. But Honda got to them first.

"I don't know why you bothered with this class," he said, flipping through the packet and holding it high over Yami's head. "It seems like a total bore, if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't!" Yami yelled, now standing up to grab his papers. Unfortunately he was nowhere near as tall as Honda, and jumping was out of the question for the dignified Pharaoh. "Honda, give them back!" He didn't care if he was causing a scene. He wanted his papers back, and he'd get them back one way or another!

"You seem stressed, Yami," Jou said with a laugh. "You need to chill out."

"You know what might help him?" Otogi commented as he walked up to the three. "If you get rid of your stress," he said as he grabbed the papers from Honda's hands. "And I'll be happy to help." With that, he took off running out the cafeteria, Jou and Honda right behind him.

"You bastards!" Yami yelled, running after them. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with their foolishness. He chased them around the cafeteria, through the parking lot, and around the tennis courts. But they never stopped. They just kept running, despite all his threats. They were so dead when he caught them! He'd cut off their legs first so that they couldn't run anymore. Those jackasses!

Finally, Yami chased them around the gym. He turned the corner and saw Yugi standing there, talking with Ryou, Malik, and their yamis. Jou, Honda, and Otogi were running around them like crazy, waving their arms and shouting unintelligible words. Yugi stared at them as if they had gone completely mad, which they probably had. But that didn't matter as Yami was still trying to get back his papers. Jou saw him coming and shoved the papers in Yugi's hands, before everyone, save Yugi, ran off. Yami ran towards his hikari, ready to collapse from exhaustion.

"What was with them?" Yugi asked, examining Yami's tired form.

"Those…jerks…stole….papers," Yami gasped out after a while. He then sat down on the ground as he panted heavily.

Yugi looked down at the pile that was in his hands, and recognized them as Yami's project. Then it clicked: this was what the secret plan was. To steal Yami's things and lure him out to a place where he and Yugi could be alone. 'Sneaky bastards,' he thought. "Well, I'm not nervous. I'm completely confused.' But he might as well go along with it. Jou, Honda, and Otogi risked their lives getting Yami out here, so he might as well make the most of it. "Looks like they really wore you out," he said with a chuckle as he sat down.

"I hate them," Yami replied, taking his papers back. Luckily for him, they were all relatively intact. More like, lucky for them. If anything had been missing, Yami would have hunted those three down relentlessly.

Yugi sat there beside his other half for a few minutes in silence, trying to figure out a way to start the conversation. He couldn't just come out and say 'I love you'. There was no way that would go over well, even if Yami didn't end up hating him. So he just rested his head against Yami's shoulder and stared off into the distance as he thought.

This didn't go unnoticed by Yami. "What's wrong, hikari. You've been spacing out all day."

Well, Yugi wasn't really expecting Yami to be the one to start a conversation. And now he didn't know what to say. Better make up something quick. "It's nothing," he said. Right, as if that answer ever worked. "I'm just thinking of something."

"Is it what you were going to tell me yesterday?"

Crap. Yami remembered that. Yugi was hoping that the spirit had forgotten all about yesterday's scene. It was in vain though. No way Yami would forget something like that. "Sort of," he said, keeping his head bent so he wouldn't look Yami in the eyes.

"Have you figured out what you want to do?" Yami asked, placing his papers on the ground next to him, so he could run a hand through Yugi's hair.

"I…I've decided that I have to tell that person. No matter what. But it all comes down to _can_ I do it? I don't think I'm brave enough to face them with this."

"Of course you are! You just have to believe that you can do it. Don't worry about what they might say or might think. If you keep thinking of all the negative things that can happen, you'll never build up the courage to tell them." The whole time, Yami continued to run a hand through Yugi's hair, gently easing away the tension the boy was feeling.

"I still don't see why I should tell them anything," Yugi muttered under his breath. "It's not like anything good might come of it."

"You don't know that."

"Of course I do!" Yugi countered, sitting up. "That person is a friend. A really dear friend, and I don't want to say anything because I don't want to ruin that friendship. But I have to, before time runs out. I have to tell them, but I don't want to push them away."

"Then just tell them."

Yugi scowled, then stood up and began pacing. "Don't you think that if it were that easy, I would have already done it by now? I would have told them a long time ago! I wouldn't be worrying what they might say or do. Everything would be absolutely fine, if only it were really that easy!" Yugi began to kick the ground in his anger, lifting up patches of grass and dirt. "But it's not! I've tried and tried to find the courage to tell them, to tell anyone, but I can't! The others have been pushing me to tell that person. And now you, _you _of all people, are also pushing me!"

"I don't mean to push," Yami responded quietly, shocked at his aibou's outburst.

"Well you are! You all are! Why can't everyone just let me deal with this at my own pace? But no one trusts that I'm going to tell. They always tell me to do it now, or to let them make a plan, or to leave it all to them. Well, I don't want that anymore! I want to handle this my way!"

"Then why don't you?"

"Because if it were up to me, I wouldn't say a thing! I know that, the others know that, and you know that. If you left it to me, I would never even think about telling that person anything. I would just keep it to myself till the day I died, and things would be left at that!" Yugi then sighed loudly and plopped back down next to Yami. "I don't want to be pushed, but on my own I'll never get it done. But I want to do it when the time is right."

Yami sat there silently as he stared at his hikari. This was really important to him. So important that the boy kept stressing over it day and night. Even last night he had been brooding. He refused to eat dinner, and locked himself away in his room for the whole night. Whatever it was that he had to say had such a big impact on his life, and Yami wasn't sure if he liked it. The sooner Yugi told whoever it was whatever he had to say, the better it would be for everyone. But until then, the hikari had to deal with making a tough decision.

And what annoyed Yami greatly was that Yugi would not tell him what it was. He never even mentioned who it was that he had to tell. He never even mentioned gender! He said 'that person', 'they', 'them'. Never a he or a she. So the spirit couldn't narrow it down to people that Yugi had been in contact with. Although Yami had a sneaking suspicion that it was the male Yugi had talked about two days earlier on the rooftop. Was that the person that Yugi was fretting over so much? What was so important about him anyway? And why didn't Yami know him?

"Yami," Yugi called. The spirit looked up at his hikari, and saw such strong determination in his eyes.

"Yes, Yugi?"

"I have to tell," Yugi said, his voice unfaltering. "I have to tell now," he repeated.

"Then tell."

Yugi nodded once, and scooted closer to Yami. So close he was almost sitting in the spirit's lap. Yami blinked, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to ruin the newfound confidence in his hikari. "Yami," Yugi said. "I lov-"

And suddenly the bell rang, drowning out the rest of Yugi's words.

------TBC------

Star: Man, I really am evil, aren't I? Well, anyway, I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and I am currently dying. So I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you are looking forward to reading the final one tomorrow. It will be up tomorrow. Now if only I was this punctual with Bright Shadows and A Mask Over My Heart. -nervous laugh-

Bye!


	4. Strike Three?

Star: Hey guys. Sorry I didn't update yesterday. I was in immense pain. I couldn't move my back, and could barely move my right arm. Even today it still hurts a lot. That, and my eyes were way too strained from staring at the computer screen for five days in a row.

But better late then never, right? Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the final chapter of A Valentine in the Making.

disclaimer: don't own, don't sue

"speech"

'thoughts'

--------Strike Three?--------

If depression could be measured in levels, Yugi would be right at the top. Or the bottom, depending on how one looked at it. All he knew was that he was depressed beyond all reason, and nothing, absolutely nothing, could take him out of it. He hadn't smiled all day, and he'd barely said a word to anyone since yesterday. In fact, he hadn't even made eye contact with anyone since yesterday. He found no point in trying to socialize with people when he felt dead inside. Dead might have been too strong, but there was no other word that came close to how he felt. Empty didn't work, lonely was not even close, and any other word in the dictionary was inappropriate. No, dead was the only word that could sum up how he was inside. He was dead.

And seeing all the happy people around him was definitely not making him feel better. He had been surrounded by happy people since he stepped outside his door. Surrounded by all the people who were in love and wanted to flaunt it. All because of some stupid holiday that was over exposed and under appreciated. Why did he even care so much about Valentine's Day? Shouldn't that be a Catholic holiday? St. Valentine was, after all, a Catholic. Why should he try and follow it?

But he couldn't ignore the pangs in his heart. The ones that told him he had missed out. His chance was gone, and there would be no more. He refused to set himself up again, just to be crushed by unbearable disappointment. No, he had had it! No more plans. No more sneaking around. No more trying to get his courage up. He was over it, over Valentines, and over love in general. He didn't need it to be happy. He didn't need Yami to be happy. He had been just fine before the spirit showed up, and he was sure he could be happy when Yami was fine.

'Besides,' he told himself, 'he's not _really_ going away forever. He'll come back for holidays and summer. And even after exams. He won't be gone for good. And maybe this time apart will help me get over him.' But even though he told himself these things, he knew it was all for naught. He would always be in love with his other half. He would feel incomplete with Yami gone. He would never be as happy as he was when he was with Yami. And it was that subconscious knowledge that kept him in his depression, though his conscious mind tried to present him with optimistic thoughts.

Yugi was aware of someone staring at him, but he didn't care. He'd rather just stare at the board in front of him, a perfect little actor pretending to be interested in school. He didn't want to be bothered anymore by Ryou, or Jou, or anyone else who thought they had another 'foolproof' plan to get him together with his yami. It was obvious that the universe didn't want them together. How many more distractions did they need to be aware of that fact? Secretly, Yugi thought the only reason they were pushing so hard was because they wanted to feel as if they had accomplished something monumental. Well, he wasn't going to be an experiment for them anymore. It was over, Yugi was throwing in the towel for good.

Clearly, Ryou didn't get that message as he changed seats to be next to Yugi. "Hey," he said in greeting. Yugi glanced at him through the corner of his eye, before turning his attention back to the teacher. "How are you doing?" the British hikari asked, genuine concern radiating from his soft voice. Yugi didn't answer him verbally, but shrugged. "Yugi, please say something."

"I'm trying to pay attention," Yugi answered. There, that should satisfy Ryou.

"Yugi, don't be like this. You still have today to tell him."

"I'm not going to talk about this anymore," replied the tri-color haired teen as he took down some notes.

"Yugi, please. Don't give up yet," Ryou pleaded. "You still have all of today. There is still hope."

"No. There is no hope. It's pointless trying to get me to talk to him, when every time I do, something interrupts us. I'm not going to go through that disappointment again. So just forget it; I have."

Ryou looked at him sternly. "No. I will not give up. Not when I know that this is possible."

"Then you are dense," Yugi said in reply. "This is my life, and even I've given up on this ever happening. So you should too."

"Why won't you just try it again? They say third time's the charm."

"And I say I don't want to deal with this anymore. I don't care what you say, it's not going to happen. Even if I did manage to find the will to try a third time, it would just end the same way."

"How do you know that?" Ryou asked, desperation and annoyance in his voice. "You can't know anything until you try."

Yugi turned to Ryou and glared fiercely at him. "And what exactly do you think I've been doing this entire time? Goofing off? I've been killing myself trying to tell Yami. I've put everything aside just so I could focus on this one thing. I've tried, and tried, and I'm sick of failure."

Ryou just sighed by didn't respond. He could understand how Yugi was frustrated with how things were going. But to just give up completely! That was too much. He had said that he would try till Valentine's Day. And it would be Valentine's Day for twenty four hours. So he still had plenty of time to tell Yami. Why was that boy so stubborn? Though, he supposed he could also be called stubborn since he refused to give up. But he wanted to see his friend happy. "So what _are _you going to do?"

"Nothing. I'm going to go on as I have all my life. Then I'm going to say goodbye when he leaves, and continue living."

"That sounds like such a happy existence," Ryou mocked, rolling his eyes.

Yugi sent him another glare. "This is my choice, and I really don't care if you don't like it."

"I'm only trying to help," Ryou countered with his own glare.

"Well, I don't want anyone's help. I just want to be left alone."

"At this rate, you'll always end up alone."

"If I do, it's none of your business."

The two teens glared at each other for a few seconds before turning and pretending to be focused on their work. It seemed as if their patience for one another was wearing thin. But they were both worn out from these past few days. Ryou with his numerous attempts to get Yugi to talk to Yami, and Yugi with his numerous disappointments. Their anger stemmed from the fact that no matter what they tried, nothing seemed to work. Why, they didn't know. All they knew was that it was incredibly annoying, and they just wanted it to be over already.

And yet, their stubbornness wouldn't let them give up. Well, it wouldn't let Ryou give up. Yugi's stubbornness refused to try again. Though in the back of his mind he knew there was a slim possibility of that happening, he didn't want to have to deal with the heartache and misery of failure. He did not like to fail at things, and failure at something so important was too much for him to deal with. So he would just rather shove his feelings to the back of his mind, then wait thirty years for those feelings to make him go crazy. But for the moment he just had to make sure that nothing would cause his disappointment again. And that meant giving up his hopes to tell Yami. Ever.

Now if only he could get that through Ryou's mind. But it would be hard, since the other teen seemed hell bent on getting them together. Yugi still didn't understand why the other was so adamant about it. It wasn't as if it were of huge importance to him. But then again, Ryou had a habit of trying to fix everyone's problems. Yugi definitely regretted not keeping his mouth shut. If he hadn't said a thing, Ryou wouldn't be bothering him constantly to tell Yami anything. Though even if he hadn't said anything, Ryou would have figured out the truth. He was good at that, annoyingly good. It was almost as if he could read people's minds. Very, very annoying.

-------

Pink.

It was everywhere. That bright, happy, bubbly monstrosity of a color littered the halls in the form of cards, candy wrappers, fliers, markers, and hair accessories. And speaking of accessories, how was it that females could stand wearing that tacky Valentine's jewelry? It was hideous! All those red and pink plastic hearts, covered in sparkles, and glitter, and bright metallic paint. The sight of a particularly obnoxious headband made Yami want to puke.

And what was worse was that the pink was not only attached to the girls. The boys were also wearing it, although against their will. Their girlfriends had forced them into wearing something festive to commemorate the occasion. And so many males were wandering the halls with red bracelets or pink necklaces. Though it was apparent that they wanted to rip the jewelry off, they didn't in fear of being yelled at. Women were crazy on Valentine's.

Yami was one of the few lucky ones who weren't subjected to that type of embarrassment. Although a few girls had tried to get him to put on a necklace. But just looking at the tomato red piece of plastic sent a shiver up his spine. So he politely declined and left. That one was easy, but getting away from Anzu proved to be much more difficult. The girl was very sneaky, and knew exactly how to work the situation. She almost had convinced him to wear it, too! And sadly it didn't take that much effort on her part. All she had to say was that Yugi would think it was cute, and he was reaching for the necklace. But hearing another boy complain about how aggravating the beads were, he quickly changed his mind.

Speaking of Yugi, his hikari was acting even more distant than before. And not just to him. To everyone, even the teachers. He seemed fine yesterday during lunch, but after it seemed as if he had lost all his energy and will to go on. What was going on with him? Why was he suddenly shutting himself off from the rest? What could have possibly happened to cause this change in him. And why hadn't yami noticed? Whatever had caused the change had to have happened between lunch and last period. So why didn't Yami notice anything was wrong?

Wandering the halls, the spirit took his time to get to the water fountain. He didn't really feel like going back to homeroom. Yugi's bad mood was something he didn't want to get involved in until he knew what had caused it. Experiences in the past taught him that when Yugi was mad, asking him a million times what was wrong did nothing to help. He would either ignore you completely, or start screaming your head off. He wouldn't talk unless one already knew what was going on, because during those times, he was not in the mood to explain.

So he just had to find out what was bothering his aibou. Which was easier said than done. It was like a closely guarded secret. But, strangely, it seemed as if everyone was carrying a secret. But Yami couldn't be the only one to not know…right? Unless the reason that Yugi was angry was because of him. But the spirit couldn't think of any reason for Yugi to be angry at him. He tried his hardest always to keep Yugi happy, so that couldn't be the reason. Or, that's what he hoped. But if it was about him, why hadn't the others told him what it was. Were they not supposed to, or did they really not know?

Spotting Jou and Honda up ahead, he decided to figure out the answer to that question. Picking up his pace, he pushed through the crowd to get to them. "Hey, you two," he said.

"Oh! Hi, Yami," Jou said nervously, obviously worried about what the spirit would do concerning yesterday's stunt.

"I need to talk to you two," the Pharaoh said seriously. Yesterday's stunt was far from him mind. "I need to know. Do you know what's wrong with Yugi?" The two boys exchanged looks, which Yami noticed immediately. Raising an eyebrow, he added, "Well?"

"It's nothing to worry about, I'm sure, " Honda said, his eyes darting all over the place.

"You are lying," Yami stated.

"He's probably stressed," Jou said. "Exams are next week, and you know how he gets about exams."

"It's not exams and you know it. Tell me what is bothering him," Yami ordered.

"Yami, it's nothing, don't worry," said the blonde. He could see the anger in Yami's expression, and gulped.

"Don't you tell me not to worry," he said firmly. "Of course I have to worry about my aibou. Now, you either tell me willingly, or I'll force it from you."

"There is nothing to tell," Honda replied, narrowing his eyes. "If he's keeping something from you, then that's his problem. Not ours, so don't threaten us."

Of course, that didn't make Yami happier. In fact, Honda's discourteous tone really struck a nerve with the teen Pharaoh. Just because he was not in power anymore, didn't mean that he would be treated as any other person. He still demanded respect from everyone, and he did not take it lightly when he was treated this way. "Listen to me," he hissed angrily, "you two are keeping something from me. Something important that concerns Yugi. I know you two know. Why you know and I don't is bothering me greatly, but I will not sit by and watch as my hikari distances himself even more from me. So you two will tell me what I want to know, or you will regret ever finding out about it in the first place." Though his stature was not big, Yami was still very intimidating, and he had the two teens pressed against the wall.

"Well, why don't you just ask him yourself?" Jou asked, trying not to look as worried as he really was. If Yami kept pushing, eventually Yugi's secret would get out and things would be ruined.

"I want to know from you two. If I ask him, he'll tell me nothing is wrong, and that I'm freaking out over nothing. But that's not true. I don't trust him to tell me the truth in this matter, which is why you guys are going to tell me."

"What do you know about it already?" the brunette asked, still glaring at Yami, though it was obvious he was a bit frightened by the angry spirit. He didn't take Yami's threats lightly; he knew very well just what the other was capable of. And he wouldn't think twice of forcing the truth out of them, as long as he found out what was wrong with Yugi.

"Nothing," the spirit answered sternly, though his glare softened a bit. "He hasn't told me a thing. I haven't figured anything out. I have absolutely no idea what it could be that is causing him to act like this."

Honda and Jou exchanged another look. Both were amazed that Yami couldn't figure out what was going on. They had figured it out fairly quickly. Was he that oblivious? Or did he already know, and still think it was something else? How could the spirit not know that the reason Yugi was acting strangely was all because of him. The signs were there, and they were pretty obvious. Yugi was always by Yami's side. He would stare at the spirit out of the corner of his eye. He blushed lightly whenever the Pharaoh smiled at him, and he'd give him a soft smile back. He was always looking for an excuse to see Yami during school. He would even come up with a lame excuse to get out of class, just so he could sneak by Yami's class and drag the other out. How did Yami miss all that?

"Has he said anything?" Honda asked.

Yami sighed and leaned against the wall next to them. "He keeps telling me he has something important to tell someone. That he has to tell them 'before it's too late', as he puts it. But he won't tell me who it is, or what he has to say. Well…he tried to tell me something twice, but both times something interrupted us. It feels like what he has to say is really important, but I don't know what it is. Which is why I'm asking you guys."

Jou sighed heavily, and Honda just rubbed his temples. What could they do? It was evident that the spirit was concerned for his aibou, but they couldn't tell him anything. It wasn't up to them to tell Yami what was wrong. That was what Yugi was supposed to do, but according to Ryou, the boy had just given up completely. The two didn't blame him for not wanting to be disappointed again, but there had to be some way to convince him to at least try one last time. "We can't tell you, Yami," Jou said. "Yugi will tell you when he's ready."

"But is it so important that he has to prepare himself before he tells me?"

"Yes, it is."

"Just give him some time," Honda added. "He'll come around soon."

"I hope so," the spirit said. "I really hope so."

-------

Yugi had gone the whole day without seeing Yami, and for some reason, he was happy about that. He didn't want to have to be around his other half while feeling like this. He was miserable, completely miserable, and being around the person who caused that misery wasn't a good thing. The teen didn't know how much more he could take before he either threw himself off the roof, or he just screamed it out on the intercom. And Ryou was certainly not helping AT ALL. The British hikari had not given up yet. He kept telling him that there was still time, that there were still a million chances for him to say it.

It was getting more and more annoying by the minute. He just wanted to scream at Ryou, and tell him to shut up, but he tried to control himself as best he could. He knew Ryou had his best interest at heart, but it was still extremely annoying! Everywhere he went, Ryou stalked him and told him to not give up. He was tempted to do just that if only to piss off the other hikari.

'At least he's not up here,' Yugi thought as he sat down on the roof. Once again, he was avoiding everyone else during lunch. He was amazed that he could go three days without eating lunch. 'My depression carries me through the day.' In actual fact, he just didn't have much of an appetite. He hadn't had an appetite for a while now. In fact, last night he hadn't eaten anything either. Nor the night before. Something he was pretty sure Yami had noticed. Because it seemed as if the spirit was pushing more and more snacks on him during the course of the day. Maybe to make up for him not eating during regular meal times.

'How can I concentrate on food when this is so much more important. How can anyone expect me to think of anything other than Yami? I don't care if I starve to death. I just wish I could get over him. I don't want to be stuck with these feelings forever. If only I could forget everything I feel for him. Things would be so much better then. Sure, I probably won't be happy, but at least I won't be killing myself every day by thinking of him.' The teen sighed and closed his eyes as he felt a breeze blow past. Things were just so complicated. In a million years he never thought that he would feel this strongly about anyone. That he would be willing to devote himself entirely to another person, and that he would do anything to be with that other person, to see that other person happy.

But then, that was what love was all about. To be willing to give up everything for another person. Sacrifice was a part of love, wasn't it? One had to be prepared to give of themselves at any minute for the other person. Even if it meant that they had to be prepared to hide their true feelings for the good of the one they loved. And that was what Yugi was doing. He was keeping his feelings hidden, and all so that he wouldn't hold Yami back from living his own life. Sure, half of the reason was that because he was afraid of being shot down. But also because he knew that Yami would turn down that school all for him. And Yugi didn't want that. It was as the saying goes: 'If you love someone, let them go.'

The door swung open and Malik walked out onto the roof, followed by Ryou. Yugi opened one eye to look at them before closing it again. He didn't feel like arguing at the moment. So he would do his best to ignore Ryou. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Looking for you," Malik answered. He sat down on Yugi's right, and shoved two bread rolls into Yugi's hands. "Yami made us take this for you."

Yugi looked down at the bread rolls, but didn't make a move to eat them. He really wasn't hungry. And he wasn't about to shove food down his throat, no matter Yami's good intentions. "And why were you looking for me?"

"Because you've avoided coming down to lunch for the past three days," Ryou said. "And I'm pretty sure that you aren't eating much at home."

"Well, other things have been occupying my time." These bread rolls were hot. Very hot.

"You can't risk your health just because of something like this," Malik commented. "It's no reason to make yourself sick."

"I'm not sick, and I won't be getting sick. I've just been thinking about this whole damn thing for too long. I'll get over it soon, so don't worry."

"But we have to worry, especially if you aren't eating!" Ryou retorted. "It's not so important that you have to stop taking care of yourself!"

Yugi glared at Ryou. "Of course it's more important! Everything concerning this situation is more important than anything that has to do with me."

"You are crazy!" Ryou yelled. "I know you love him, and all. But you have to think of yourself first!"

"I can't!" Yugi yelled, standing up. "Why the hell should I bother, when he's all I can think about?"

"Then either hurry up and tell him, or get over it!" Ryou yelled back, standing up as well. "But stop bitching every minute about how hopeless it all is!"

Malik quickly got up and stood in between them. "Guys, come on. Don't argue."

"I'm so sick of hearing you complain!" continued Ryou, ignoring Malik." I've been trying like hell to help you win Yami over. And all you've been doing is saying how it's not going to work, and how it's all pointless. If it's so pointless, why the hell am I wasting my time!"

"I never asked you to help! I never asked you to do anything! I didn't even want you to know! But you had to be your nosy self and get yourself involved in something that doesn't concern you! You are always doing that!"

"If you don't want me involved in your business, don't fucking tell me anything then! I'm not going to stand around listening to your damn problems all the time!"

"I wouldn't tell you anything if you stopped trying to figure everything little secret out! You dragged yourself into this, and all because you had to know my secret! So excuse me if I bitch about you!" Yugi was crushing the bread rolls in his hands, and he had a huge urge to throw them at Ryou's head.

"Guys, just calm down!" Malik said. "It's not worth fighting over."

"Your plans were stupid from the start! I never should have listened to you!"

"But you did, because you are desperate for his attention! You can't do anything without thinking of him! You are so pathetic!"

"At least I don't go hanging off him like a horny slut!"

Ryou and Malik both gasped as they stared at Yugi. He did not just say that! Oh damn, hell would be raised for sure now. "What the hell did you just say?" Ryou hissed.

"I said you are a horny slut!" Yugi really didn't care what he was saying anymore. He was so over everything at the moment.

"Why you…you little bitch! How dare you say that, after everything I've done for you!"

"You are a pain in the ass, and always have been!"

Malik could no longer take it. He was far too frightened of them to even think of stopping them now. He needed reinforcements. And so he quietly snuck away from the argument, and hauled ass down to the cafeteria. Bursting in through the doors, he ran up to the table where the rest of the group was sitting. "Come…fighting…roof…" was all he managed to get out as he panted.

"What's going on?" Marik asked, wondering what exactly his hikari was going on about.

"Roof…Ryou and Yugi…fighting…gonna kill…each other." At least he managed to get the point across that time. Yami and Bakura quickly stood up and ran out, hoping to rescue their hikari's from any injuries. The rest of the group followed quickly. They all headed up to the roof, where, thankfully, Ryou and Yugi were still in once piece.

"I fucking hate you, Ryou!" Yugi screamed, not caring about the new audience. "You're a bossy little whore, and I can't stand you!" A collective gasp from the group registered in the back of his mind.

"And you're just a pathetic little freak, who is too much of a wimp to do anything without clinging to others!"

"And you cling to people because you are nothing but a slut who just wants to be fucked all the time!" Yugi then threw his crumbled up bread at Ryou.

"I'm going to kill you!" Ryou yelled as he leaped towards Yugi. He managed to grab a hold of Yugi's hair and began to pull at it. Yugi managed to kick him in the shin, which sent Ryou falling. But Ryou kicked his leg out from under him, and Yugi fell down as well. Yugi then slapped Ryou hard on the cheek. But before they could do any more damage, they were pulled apart by their yamis.

"What is wrong with you two?" Bakura asked as he struggled to keep a grip on Ryou.

"He's an ungrateful little prick, and I'm sick of him!" Ryou yelled, as he tried to break free.

"You psycho freak!" Yugi yelled back. "Why the hell can't you just mind your own business, and stay the hell out of my life!"

"You're the one who always comes to me! Grow some balls and learn to deal with your own problems!"

"Fuck you, jackass!" Yugi then pushed Yami away, and stormed towards the door. "I'm done! Fuck all of you!" He ran down the stairs, not caring that Yami was running after him and calling for him to stop. He ran out of the building, and went towards the back field. Fuck the whole day! He was through with Ryou, and he was through with Valentine's Day.

"Yugi, stop!" Yami called out as he ran after his hikari.

"Leave me alone!" Yugi yelled at him. "I don't want to deal with you anymore!" Of course, Yami didn't listen. He grabbed Yugi's arm, only to have it ripped from his grasp. "Don't touch me!" Yugi said, pushing the spirit away.

"What is going on?" Yami asked, once again grabbing Yugi's arm. Though Yugi tried to pull it away again, Yami kept a firm grip. "Why were you and Ryou fighting?"

"Because he is an annoying bastard, and I can't stand him! Now let me go!" Yugi said, still trying to free his arm.

"What is with you lately?" Yami snapped, loosing control of his emotions for a second. "Why are you acting like this?"

"You want to know? It's because I'm tired of dealing with shit like this! I'm just tired of dealing with things in general! And you aren't making it any better!"

Yami blinked, not expecting to be singled out like that. "And what exactly am I doing to make things bad?"

"You're going to leave me for that stupid college!" There, he said it. Now if only he could tell Yami how he felt.

Yami was silent as he let go of Yugi's arm. College? Is that what was bothering him all this time? "I don't understand. I thought you _wanted _me to go to that college."

"I said I did, but I don't! I don't want you to leave, but it doesn't really matter now. You're going to leave and leave me alone!" Yugi knew they were making a scene, but he didn't care. He couldn't take it anymore.

"If you don't want me to go, I won't," Yami replied quietly.

"No! You have to go!"

"Well, make up your mind!" Yami was utterly confused. "Do you want me to stay, or not?"

"Yes! Of course I do, but you can't stay! You have to go to that college!"

"Why should I? I'm only going because you said it would be a good opportunity for me. Otherwise I'd be going to college with you."

"But you can't!" Yugi felt like ripping his hair out. Why couldn't Yami just understand? "You can't give this up just because of me! You've given up so much because of me! I can't take this away from you as well."

"Aibou, I don't care about that college," responded the Pharaoh. "I never did. I would rather stay here, with you. You know that."

Yugi felt tears of frustration start to build. "No! You can't stay here! Don't you get it?

"Apparently not, so why don't you explain exactly why I can't stay." Now Yami was beginning to get annoyed. Yugi had been telling him for months that he should go to that law school. That he'd never get another opportunity as great as this. And he had gone along with it, because Yugi seemed excited by it. But now Yugi was saying he didn't want him to leave, but he couldn't stay as well. What exactly did Yugi want?

"If you don't go, you might regret it forever. And I don't want to take away this chance from you. You can't give this up for me! This is such a great experience! So that's why you can't stay!"

"Yugi, I'm the spirit of a five thousand year old Pharaoh who died trying to save the world. Nothing could possibly top that experience."

"And what if I told you I hate you? Would you leave then?" Yugi was almost desperate now.

"Maybe, if I didn't know you were lying."

"Why don't you get it! You can't stay here! You have to take this opportunity! You can't stay here because of me! Even though I want you to stay! I want to be selfish this once and keep you, but I can't take this away from you!" And then the tears began to fall, but Yugi didn't care.

"But in actual fact, you want me to stay?" Yami watched the tears roll down his hikari's cheeks, but as soon as he made a move to wipe them away, Yugi backed up.

"Yes. I really want you to stay," the teen answered, angry at himself that he let the tears fall so easily.

"Why do you want me to stay so bad?"

Yugi shook his head. "Isn't it enough for me to say that I don't want you to leave?"

"No. I want to know exactly why you want me to stay so badly. Because it's for that very same reason that you want me gone." Yami would finally get to the bottom of this.

Yugi's eyes widened, and he opened and closed his mouth as if to answer, but he didn't make a sound. Could Yami already know? How could he know that the same reason he wanted to keep Yami was the same reason he wanted to push him away? He didn't want to tell him. Not now, not like this. Not through an argument in the middle of the school surrounded by the other students. But what else could he do? He'd never get another chance. So he might as well tell him now. Things couldn't possibly get any worse than they already were. So what if he ruined things between them? At the moment he couldn't care less.

But before he could say a word, the sprinklers suddenly came on. Everyone who was on the field at the time started freaking out, and running off the grass. And then, everyone's clothes and skin began to turn red. It was red water! So that was what Bakura and the others had been planning. Taking advantage of the confusion, Yugi grabbed Yami's collar and pulled him down into a kiss. He felt the other tense up, but he didn't care. He slowly pulled away, and stared into Yami's shocked and confused expression. "I love you." He finally said those three words. "I don't want you to leave, because I love you."

Yami stood there, gaping at his hikari as he tried to figure out what exactly had happened. He didn't even care about the water that was still raining on the two of them. "You…you…what?"

"I love you," Yugi repeated. "I've loved you since the day I first met you. I never realized exactly how much I cared until I found out that you'd be leaving me. But I love you so much. And that's why I don't want you to leave." And now, to wait for the reply. A strangely, he felt fine. Sure he was nervous as hell, but it was ok. He had said what he wanted to say, and now he didn't have to worry about keeping it a secret anymore.

"So…wait…you love me?"

"Yes."

"…really?"

"Really." Yami continued to stare at Yugi for a minute, before his shoulders began shaking with silent laughter. As the seconds rolled by, his laughter increased till he was doubled over, clutching his sides tightly. Yugi just watched him, glaring at his other half. "I'm glad you're taking this seriously," he spat.

"Oh, aibou," the spirit said between laughs. "My hikari." He managed to control his laughter long enough to walk over and embrace Yugi. "I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!"

"Believe what?" It was now Yugi's turn to be completely confused.

"That you could be in love with me," the Pharaoh explained, still laughing.

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Oh, my hikari. My little hikari."

"Yes, we've established that."

"It's just…I never once thought that you could feel the same!"

Same! Did he just say 'same'? As in 'similar'? As in…did Yami really mean what Yugi thought he meant? His heart was racing a mile a minute as he stared at Yami. His mouth hung open in shock, and he was vaguely aware of the water from the sprinklers falling on his tongue. Why hadn't someone turned that off yet? "S-same? What…do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Yugi shook his head. Yami smiled, and leaned down to gently place a kiss on Yugi's lips. Pulling back, he placed his forehead against Yugi's. "I love you too."

------

High up on the roof, the rest of the group watched the pair with smiles on their faces. So the last plan had worked perfectly. Even better than they had expected. Bakura wrapped an arm around Ryou's waist and drew him close. "Good job, Ryou," he said, planting a kiss on his hikari's cheek.

"Who knew it would work so well," Jou commented as he watched the two share another kiss, one of what was sure to be many.

"I'm amazed he even agreed to go with it," Anzu said.

"No, what's really amazing is how hard he can slap," Ryou said, touching his red cheek and wincing.

"I'll make you feel better," Bakura said with a smirk.

"Bakura, how exactly did you three get the red dye in the sprinkler system?" Otogi asked. The red water was still raining all over the back field, Yami and Yugi standing right in the middle.

"Well, it's a lot harder and more complicated than it looks," Bakura replied smugly.

"We poured buckets full of red dye into the water pipes," Marik said, rolling his eyes.

"Nice going, idiot," Bakura said, sending the other yami a withering look. "Way to ruin the plan."

"Oh, come off it, Bakura," Malik said with a chuckle. "The administrators would have found out sooner or later. Besides, it did it's job, causing a distraction to get them alone."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you did it," Honda said, nodding in understanding.

"So tell me, Ryou," Anzu said, turning her eyes away from the new couple on the ground. "Now that you managed to get those two together, doesn't Yugi owe you big time?"

"You're right! He does owe me big," Ryou said with a smirk. "Especially after those comments and that slap. But you know…I'll give him some time before he pays me back. Because I'm sure Yami won't let him go for a long, long time."

"So, you think Yami's going to go away to that college now?" Marik asked.

"As if!" Ryou exclaimed. "Those two are completely inseparable now."

"And isn't that what we wanted?" asked Jou.

"Yup. So, Happy Valentine's Day, Yami and Yugi."

---------The End-------

Star: Aww, isn't that cute? Bet you all thought they were going to be interrupted a third time, huh? And, omg! Ryou and Yugi have such bad potty mouths, lol. I cracked up writing their argument.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story. And that you all had a nice Valentine's Day. See you in Bright Shadows and A Mask Over My Heart!


End file.
